Saturday, 11 June 2011

Sending The Wrong Message

So when one group in a deprived area applied for funding to help renovate a dilapidated hut which is almost as old as Lord Baden-Powell’s initiative, they thought they were in with a strong chance.

Oh, dear. You just know what's coming, don't you?

To their dismay, they were told they were not eligible for the cash – because their work does not involve drug rehabilitation for addicts or services to help young offenders.

*sigh*

Mr Lewis, 37, works with a Beavers group for children aged between five and a half and eight. He said: ‘It’s infuriating that the good kids who keep their noses clean are ignored and don’t get any financial support.

‘So much cash is made available for young offenders after they have committed crimes.

‘They will throw any amount of money at them.’

Yes. Yes, they will. And what sort of message does that send to the young of today?

9 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Such are the expectations in this area that, on proposing a bid for EU money to help in my own area, everyone thought this was inevitably about spending on the bad guys. In fact, it would have provided playing fields, theatre and art opportunities for local kids and free surveillance cameras, wrapped up in job counselling.I got the grant, now in action in a town up the road, as the council brought in their own scheme, which has already collapsed leaving residents paying £8 a week more rent for their surveillance cameras, which didn't help stop the drug rehab room getting trashed.Strangely, comment on council schemes that clean up buildings is usually met with comment on 'why don't they do something about the scrote'.

Unfortunately, the council will be able to sleep at night for the simple reason that they don't give a shit about the scouts or what local people think. They will have based their decision not on doing what is right but on satisfying their perception of the greatest need.

I'm willing to bet that people in the scouts and similar groups are less likely to commit crimes?Thats where the money should be going, not to those who are already criminals.Crime seems to get you all the goodies that you can't afford, and not because you nick them, because the government gives you them in the hope that you wont commit more crime. Yeah right.

The Scouts fall foul of the "White, Middle Class and probably militaristic and/or racist" ban. My own Group applied for lottery funding under a "Youth and Communities" grant and got kicked back in favour of Prostitution and Drug Projects. Told the Group to put up a Red Light and see if it makes a difference! Many of these grants etc. are used more for social engineering purposes than actually benefiting the community itself. In general it is the old story, break the law and get everything given on a plate.